The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-22
CORMORlNTLiND THIEVES
TO BE REMOVED From THE PUB,
Lie LANDS.
Suits Entered 20 Save 2,s50,OOO aud
Cases Embracing S,75O,OOO
Acres Pending Examination.

WASHINGTON, May 2l.-The Pres
ident has approved an application
from the Secretary Of the Interior to
the War Department for a detail of
troop of cavalry to be stationed at
Cheyenne, Wy. t.. to aid the civil
authorities in enforcing the procla-
nation of the President forbidding
the fencing of the public domain and
directing the removal of such unlaw-
full fencing, Unlawful Enclosures of
public lands have been found, &C
cording to the most recent off cial re-
ports, in Arizona, Colorado, Dakota,
Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Ne
braska, New Mexico, Oregon,
Utah, Washington Territory, Wyo-
ming and on the public land strip.
In Colorado one cattle company
fenced iu 100000 acres; another,
627, 900 acres. Ia Kansas one cattle
syndicate fenced in 104, 900 acres; in
Nebraska, another, 81 cog acres, and
the total, according to Secretary
Lamar's last report, was 375
unlawful enclosures, containing
an area of nearly 6,500,000
acres. The Secretary added; ut is
believed that this does not represent
nearly the area illegally inclosed. ="
The President issued his proclama-
ton ordering fences around public
lands removed in August, 1885.
Since then, as Secretary Lamar says
In his last report, proceedings to
compel removal have been brought
involving 2,250,000 acres. DEGREES
have been obtained for removals
from more than | ZOO, 700 acres, Cases
embracing 3,750,000 acres are pend
ing examination, and from a part of
these fences are now being removed.
The total area from which fences
have been and are being removed, as
shown by the report of the Commits
sioner, is 2,714, 1926 acres. Doubtless
better showing would have been
made with reference to these irclos-
ures if the department had had the
means Of employing the number of
agents necessary for the prosecution
Of the work.
The Secretary dds: When the
vastness of the public domain in the
Northwest is considered. the difficult
ties of speedily executing the policy
of the law OF Congress and the Pres
ideDt's proclamation against a power
full combination of CAPITALISTS, who
can by delays and evasions and other
we'll known methods defeat the ends
Of justice, will be appreciated. Take
the Territory Of Wyoming alone, for
example. 1t contains 81 ,575 square
miles, an area about equal to New
England and New York together.
Through this vast territory only two
railroads run-the Union Pacific,
from twenty to thirty miles from the
southern border, and branch of the
CHICAGO and Northwestern, running
from the east into the Territory more
than 100 miles, and only available by
going to Omaha, Neb. Consequent
ly nearly all the travel over this vast
territory in making investigations
and in enforcing the law indicated,
must be performed by teams. The
investigations by this mode of travel
must necessarily be slow in compare
son with those where railroad facili-
ties are afforded. This fairly
illustrates some of the diff
culties attending the prosecution of
this work. In its social, moral and
political aspect, not less than in its
economic results, the existence and
growth of such lawless combinations
resting upon unlawful Enclosures of
the public domain, and protected by
the requirement of titles through
devious or more openly fraudulent
methods to the controlling sources
of water supply, constitute today
phenomenon OF American life, and a
problem Of political import that de-
mand the intelligent attention and
action Of the Congress OF the United
States. Congress has given the
President abundant power, and he
has evidently come to the conclu-
sion that if he must use troops to
keep the farmers out of Oklahoma,
he may use troops to tear down the
unlawful fences by which organized
capitalists keep settlers from acduir-
inc homeS IN tho nuhEo lands